Plants in Acorus have been used as herbal medicine by various linguistic groups for thousands of years. Arguments of taxonomy of Acorus among scientists resulted in confusions and misuses of Acorus plants. The present study used different methods to investigate the classification of the genus, based on folk taxonomy. The relationships among Acorus species were revealed through phylogenetic analyses by constructing the Maximum Likelihood and Bayesian phylogenetic analyses based on sequences of two chloroplast regions (trnL-trnF and rbcL). All samples named with two so-called synonyms, Acorus macrospadiceus (Yamam.) F. N. Wei and Y. K. Li and Acorus tatarinowii Schott collected from different habitats, were clustered into separate groups, which revealed that they represented two independent species. Multivariate statistical analysis of metabolites from different Acorus populations were carried out based on UPLC-QTOF-MS data. Three independent analysis, principal component analysis, heat-map analysis, and hierarchical cluster analysis, showed that A. macrospadiceus and A. tatarinowii are different from two recognized species in the genus, A. calamus L. and A. gramineus Aiton. The results of phylogenetics and chemotaxonomy, together with morphological and ecological evidences, were consistent with traditional knowledge of local people related to Acorus taxa, which proved the significance of parataxonomy. Multiple evidences including morphological, ecological, folk taxonomic, phylogenetic, and chemical taxonomic results suggested that there are four species in the genus Acorus.

In China, species in the genus <em>Acorus</em> are used for many different purposes, viz., in traditional medicine, for rituals, and as ornamental plants. <em>Acorus calamus</em> (sweet flag) has been a symbolic plant in Chinese culture for many centuries and is used as a ceremonial object in festivals throughout the country. For other <em>Acorus</em> species in China, ethnobotanical records are few. During field investigations from 2006 to 2017, we interviewed 573 individuals representing ethnic groups such as the Miao, Yao, Buyi, Shui, Tujia, Dong, She, Maonan, Zhuang, Yi, and Han people. Various ethnobotanical approaches were adopted in the field surveys, including key informant interviews, semistructured interviews, participatory observation, direct observation, etc. The results have revealed a rich treasure trove of traditional knowledge on <em>Acorus</em> in China. Two species (<em>A. macrospadiceus</em> and <em>A. gramineus</em>) were used by ethnic groups as spices to add flavor to meat. Through the study found that all the species of <em>Acorus</em> had medicinal value, especially <em>A. tatarinowii</em>, deafness, blindness, and digestive disorders were among the conditions commonly treated using these plants. Traditional knowledge of the cultural, ethnomedicinal, and food values of <em>Acorus</em>, based on our recent literature surveys and field investigations in China is presented here. A better understanding of <em>Acorus</em> is vital for conserving the plants and the traditional knowledge associated with them.

Current research on residents’ ecological protection behaviors commonly adopts the socio-economic approach at the individual level. Yet, such an approach might ignore the impacts of potential psychological factors on resident behaviors, such as on farmers’ willingness and perception to conservation (collectively defined as residents’ tendencies in this study). This research analyzed the factors influencing residents’ preferences for conservation and livelihood trade-off at the community level in Sanjiangyuan National Park, China. We conclude: First, the factors associated with government funding lead to residents’ inclination to trust local government. Subsequently, abundant wealth contributes to the open-mindedness of residents to accept that “changes” are worthy. Second, despite the limited level of education, the fact that residents do not consider terms and conditions of regulations does not hinder recent social and ecological transformation. Third, residents’ comparative support for policies and regulations are commonly related to their interests in livelihood and ecological protection, but the support levels differ among different counties due to geographical and social heterogeneities. Collectively, policymakers should realize the importance of residents’ tendencies as well as their confidence in local government when planning to optimize social ecological transformation policies with a balance between the compensations given and benefits received.

Assessing the health of the ecosystem based on the landscape pattern of national parks can facilitate policy makers in formulating more targeted conservation policies to better manage national park ecosystems. To analyze the landscape patterns and characteristics of the national park, the ecosystem health evaluation index system of the national park was constructed using the vigor-organization-resilience (VOR) model to evaluate the health status. In this study, the Shennongjia National Park in China was selected as a case study area to be assessed using the index system. The results revealed that the patches of construction land and farmland are the largest in number and the most complex in shape, reflecting the obvious fragmentation of construction land and farmland patches. All patch types in this national park were evenly distributed. The results of the analysis showed that the comprehensive index of national park heath, according to the VOR model, is 0.74, indicating that the ecosystems in this study area were in a good state of health. Ecosystems in strictly protected areas of this park had the highest ecosystem health index levels, while the traditional utilization areas had the lowest. Ecosystem health levels were characterized by significant spatial agglomeration characteristics, with high-high aggregation distribution areas, mainly clustered in strictly protected areas, and low-low aggregation distribution, mainly clustered in traditional utilization areas and marginal areas. This study provided a set of ecosystem health assessment systems and their practical use in China’s newly established national parks.